Learning More About Who Our Patients Are Helps Valley Provide Better Care

Learning More About Who Our Patients Are Helps Valley Provide Better Care

Valley Medical Center is committed to improving healthcare for all our diverse patients and families. Healthcare can be affected by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability status. It’s important that we know who our patients are so we can provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time, every time.

Starting in 2023, regulatory agencies that govern hospital accreditation are requiring that hospitals collect expanded Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) information; Race, Ethnicity and Language (REaL) information; and disability status information from their patients. Collecting this information lets us more clearly understand the needs of our diverse community members, allowing us to better care for our community like family.

We will ask for this information when a patient is admitted to the hospital. A patient may choose to disclose the information or not. The information will be part of a patient’s confidential medical record. We will start collecting this information in our clinics later in 2023.

We hope you will trust us with this personal information, and know that we strive to understand, honor, and respect our patients’ identities.

See frequently asked questions about REal & SOGI data.
See the glossary of sexual orientation and gender identity terms used at Valley.

About The Author

Valley Medical Center's Marketing and Community Outreach Office